10.28.2014

Last week I spent a couple of days at my sister's home...one last trip before the snow flies which makes travelling over the mountain pass less desirable...Even though I have a million and one things to do, it was good to take a moment...to ponder...to observe...to consider...to contemplate...The drive is just about three hours...and after spending the first hour getting out of the mess of Seattle and all the surrounding suburbs, its a clear shot up and over the mountains and across the wheat fields and apple orchards...turning on the radio, there isn't great reception...just one country & western station...rather than turning it off, I left it on...one of the recent exercises in bestill52 is about changing up your routine...and though it was in reference to photography subjects, I thought this idea had merit in other ways as well...I love the little things that my sister picks up for me...one perfect feather...a dried flower pod...old photographs...vintage hair clips...instant inspiration...

Throughout my visit...lots of eye candy photo ops...just the simplest of compositions...changing up my routine a bit...

Once home, the two little bottles I picked up...with the feather and dried flower bud...and a few more of those precious old photos...

10.22.2014

Holiday production is underway...I have three gift shows I'm doing before the end of the year so its a little crazy around the studio...

I've been busy creating with the vintage blue ticking I picked up last fall in Yakima...made a new slipcover for the living room ottoman, have some pillows underway...The leftover scraps seemed perfectly paired with old french book pages...and of course, putting a bird on it makes any creation just right...

I constructed these simple sachets...two squares of ticking topped with a square of french text and finished with an image of a vintage bird printed on vellum.

I didn't see any need to finish the edges; the soft torn edge of the ticking adds to the casual nature...embellished with a pearl button and a linen string for hanging...stacked up in a pile, hung on a hook...or even displayed as an ornament on a tree...

and the bonus part...they are filled with lavender for a heavenly scent...

ah yes...let the holidays begin...the calming scent of lavender will keep the frenzy at a lull...

10.14.2014

Four easy prompts...a list to comprise a composition...take the time to enjoy the process...those were the instructions for last week's bestill52 exercise...So I did take my time...and thought quite a bit about it...and then I put my idea into play...The four prompts were bread, linen, twine, scissors...now 3 of the 4 were no problem...but that first one...bread...I really didn't want to do the traditional thing...and then it hit me...the eureka moment...bread is also a slang term for money...When I'm not digging up vintage treasures, creating art or hanging at home with the Southern Man and Mr. Calvin, I work part-time at Lowe's...lately in the cash office...occasionally I come across coins from other countries...which have no monetary value but plenty of artistic intrigue...so its a small bonus...and perfect for my planned vignette..."the conundrum of Mr. Albert Halliday"

Once a popular tailor, requested by the upper echelons of society to outfit them for any grand occasion, Mr Halliday had seen better days. The advent of those department stores where anything could be found within their walls and taken home with a swipe of a plastic card had diminished his clientele's need for bespoke clothing.

The only requests now came from others, like him, who had immigrated from the old country...fleeing from a land that no longer held their allegiance...they understood the quality of a even stitch and the smooth hand of woven cloth...but had no resources to pay for the work...trying to barter their bill with a pittance of old coins and remnants of a dry loaf of bread...

A little imagination goes a long way in setting up an artistic vignette...and helped to reinforce the lessons of this exercise...as is my mantra - the most ordinary of objects can tell a story...you just have to be listening...A final collage inspired by my story..."time ticks on...and the ways of the old world are forgotten..."

10.10.2014

Its only been in the last couple of years that I finally had the gumption to call myself an artist...since I'm not working in traditional mediums (watercolor, oil, pastel, ceramics...whatever else you want to add to the list...) it is a stretch for some of what a definition of an artist is...Today I am delivering 12 of my multi-media collages to be displayed in a two person show in a private gallery...there's been some prep on my part to get all of the pieces "gallery ready" Three of my "temporaries" series are in the group...these are intricate collage compositions that are rather free-form...sewn in place with a dab of glue here and there, it truly emphasizes their ephemeral quality. I displayed each of them on a board with a bulldog clip, ala clipboard fashion...the gallery director was concerned that they might be damaged and wanted them secured or framed...I hesitated...framing was the antithesis of my intent with these pieces...I wanted them to be touched...examined...I needed to figure out an alternative...And don't ask me how such ideas come to me...which was asked of me earlier in the week of how I compose a collage...I didn't know how to answer...other than it just comes to me...

I removed the bulldog clips from each of the three boards...in place of the remaining hole, I attached a pearl button in one...a decorative tack in the others...then I took the paper composition and loosely sewed it onto a piece of kraft cardboard to increase its sturdiness...

then I nailed it to the board...not necessarily in the corner...but wherever it made sense and would adequately secure the collage...I breathed a sigh of relief...problem solved...with artistic intent intact...Earlier this week, I received a package in the mail...a wonderful gift of ephemera from Sandy of Quill Cottage....as I opened it, I could not believe the content...such exquisite tones and textures...from one collage artist to another, she knew that her package would be well received...I immediately went to work comprising impromptu compositions...

the complete package

a collage quartet

and I couldn't resist just a little PS play...

Joining the group over at kim klassen's Friday Finds...where my find is gifts in the mail...and the understanding that I am a different kind of artist...and appreciating that understanding...

10.05.2014

I've had this idea for a dining room table that I've been thinking about for over 10 years...finally I had the time/energy/resources to put into reality the idea that had been been in my head for some time...After we decided to stay put and not move across the country, we were determined to do the house projects that get put off and forgotten about...until you think about selling the house and then all those things get done. This time we were going to do all of them and then get to enjoy our house for ourselves. I was never a fan of our dining room table...and had always wished for a different table...now was the time to make that idea a reality...I already had a cast iron table base that I picked up for $15 years and years ago...when I saw it, I knew it would be perfect for the "someday" table...

I bartered 4 rusty metal table legs for 6 reclaimed fir boards from my friend Shelley who is the Queen of Junk...thick heavy boards...a little worse for being outside for a while...but that's what we call patina...

Got the boards home, scrubbed them, bleached them, set them out in the sun to dry...an aside...Atlas work gloves are the best...great rubber grip and flexible knit backside...I love them...

Laid the boards out, moved them around until I had an arrangement where the boards fit snug...pounded in several wood connectors...essentially wood staples that would hold the boards in place while I secured them with three wood braces.

I also laid down the table base so I could mark the position of the screw holes...

For the table braces, I didn't want to use new wood because the tone would be so glaringly bright...rummaging around, I found several used stakes that once held campaign signs of some candidate we were supporting at the time...I cut the stakes into the desired lengths...the leftover pointed ends might be resurrected into a wood composition art piece in the future...

After determining the placement of the braces, I drilled pilot holes for the screws...wrapping a piece of blue tape around the drill bit gave me a guide to the depth of the hole without drilling all the way through the table top...

Once the braces were in place, I used my electric sander to smooth the rough edges and remove any loose splinters...I debated whether or not to apply any sort of sealant...decided against it for the time being...I like the natural tone of the boards and wanted to keep that rough hewn look...I moved the table top into the dining room for final construction...

Attached the iron base...noticed that the feet on the legs were rather rough...not wanting to scratch up my wood floors, I cut rounds of self-adhesive felt for a cushion...

Flipped the table over and I was done!

It didn't take long for me to get the chairs around the table and set up a fall vignette...

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all rights reserved. please do not reproduce, use or copy my images, photos, artwork or text without my express permission. email inquiries to amy_duncan@yahoo.com.
creating art is not an easy process - thanks for giving the artist the respect they deserve.